MacRumors iPhone and iPad Blog: Apps, News, and Rumors

Huawei, currently the world's third largest smartphone manufacturer, is planning on developing its own voice assistant to compete with Apple's Siri, Amazon's Alexa, and Alphabet's Google Assistant, reports Bloomberg. The company is said to have more than a hundred engineers that are in the early stages of developing the AI assistant. Sources that spoke to Bloomberg say Huawei plans to...

TwIM, released today, is a new app that turns Twitter's Direct Messages function into a dedicated chat app, ignoring all other Twitter features for a clean, simple DM chat experience. Because it is based on Twitter's Direct Messages feature, TwIM can be used to chat with any Twitter user through a search function that can locate people via name or username. Messages are turned into...

Many iPhone and iPad users appear to be experiencing issues with Apple's iMessage service, which seems to be down for some people. Those who are having problems are unable to send iMessages and are instead being forced to communicate via standard green bubble text messages. According to user reports on Twitter, the problem started for some users last night. Not all iPhone and iPad owners are...

Starting later this week, popular augmented reality game Pokémon Go will gain tons of new content in the form of 80 new Pokémon that are being introduced to the game. The Pokémon come from the Johto region in the Pokémon Silver and Pokémon Gold games, and will include both new Pokémon and new evolutions. Gender-specific variations are also being implemented. Some Johto region Pokémon...

D-Link today announced that its new Omna 180 Cam HD camera, unveiled at CES 2017 last month, is now available to purchase at Apple.com for $199.95. The cylindrical Omna 180 Cam HD features a 1080p camera with a 180-degree field of view, a built-in microphone and speaker with two-way audio, infrared night vision up to 16 feet, and motion detection with the option to record motion-triggered...

A few Apple executives have had meetings with South Korean financial authorities, spurring a rumor that the Cupertino company is beginning to make headway in its attempt to launch Apple Pay in the country. Sources speaking with The Korea Herald said that Apple's legal director and senior counselor met with the country's financial authorities back in November to discuss Apple Pay, but the company...

AppGratis today announced that, after seven years of operations and more than 50 million app installs globally, it has shut down. The service offered hand-picked apps for free or up to 90% off on a daily basis through its website and Android app, and formerly through its iPhone app, but its popularity had seemingly faded over the years. Apple removed AppGratis from the App Store in April...

Carmaker Jaguar today announced that a collection of its vehicles will support a new in-car cashless payment app that allows drivers to use Apple Pay to pay for fuel at Shell stations without having to use a traditional card payment at a pump. Drivers of the enhanced Jaguar F-PACE performance SUV, F-TYPE, XF and XE sports saloon model ranges -- and the latest Land Rover models -- will be able to...

Amazon has silently updated its Alexa assistant to include Outlook.com calendar support, reports The Verge. Amazon's Echo family of connected smart speakers have always supported Google calendars, but now Outlook users can ask Alexa to add or review upcoming events in their schedule using voice commands like "What's on my calendar?" or "Add an event to my calendar." Outlook.com...

Elgato has updated its HomeKit-compatible Eve app with improved third-party accessory support and new features, including new lighting controls. The Eve family of HomeKit accessories gathers data on air quality, temperature, humidity, air pressure, energy consumption and more, while the Eve app is where data from each Eve product is aggregated and where accessories can be grouped and organized ...

Encrypted communications app Signal received an update yesterday that enabled video calling for the first time, but the latest version also brings CallKit support to the platform, which may leave some privacy-conscious users wary. Introduced in iOS 10, the CallKit SDK allows incoming calls from third-party VoIP apps to appear on the iOS lock screen and recent calls list, just like standard...

Pioneer today announced a pair of new smart Lightning earphones, the Rayz and Rayz Plus. The Plus model includes a built-in Lightning port that allows users to charge their phone while listening to music. Pioneer says it's the "first and only" Lightning headset with a built-in "charging node." While the regular Rayz do not include a Lightning port, both models use Avnera's LightX technology, ...

Apple is preparing to fight proposed "Right to Repair" legislation proposed in the Nebraska state legislature, reports Motherboard. The legislation aims to make it easier for both customers and indie repair shops to repair electronics, similar to how car repair works. Nebraska is one of eight states considering such legislation. In addition to Nebraska, New York, Michigan, Minnesota, Kansas ...

At the Code Media conference in Dana Point, California, Facebook's Vice President of Partnerships Dan Rose announced that Facebook is planning to launch an app for set-top boxes like the Apple TV in the near future. Focused on video content, the app will allow users to watch the "same kinds of video" available on Facebook's app and website, except they'll be viewable on the larger screen of a...

On its Brazilian YouTube channel, Apple today posted a new video celebrating Carnival festivities in the country, which typically run throughout February and into March each year (via blogdoiphone). Apple is said to have made the video to highlight "the diversity, variety and freedom of expression of Carnival," as well as a way to continue its "Shot on iPhone" campaign, which has recently focused ...

An update to the Nest app is rolling out today, bringing with it a new feature that lets Nest Cam Indoor and Nest Cam Outdoor automatically detect doors within their field of view, further allowing users to set these thresholds as "Activity Zones" with warning-based notifications attached to them. The feature will be available only to those who have the company's $10/month subscription service Nes...

Pokémon Go fans waiting for a new reason to resume their engagement with the hit augmented reality title may have reason to cheer. According to MacRumors sister site TouchArcade, two features that were sorely missing in the game's original incarnation – real-time player battles and Pokémon trading – are said to be coming "soon". John Hanke, founder and CEO of Pokémon Go developer Niantic,...

Apple's 24/7 online radio station, Beats 1, finally went live in Singapore on Tuesday, almost two years after Apple Music first launched there (via Mashable). The availability of Beats 1 – which does not require an Apple Music subscription to listen to – is notable for a country in which iPhones usually launch the same day as in the U.S., and where Apple's streaming music service has...